Beautiful Venom by Rina Kent (Review)

Title: Beautiful Venom
Author: Rina Kent
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Dark Romance
Publisher: Bloom Books
Date published: May 27, 2025

A complimentary digital copy was kindly provided by Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review.

They shattered my world; now, I’ll bring down theirs.
The problem? I have virtually no way to trace the puppet master.
My only lead: The Vipers.
An elite college hockey team that rules the ice—and the shadows beyond it.
To infiltrate their secret society, I set my sights on their weakest link.
Kane Davenport.
The charismatic captain and the lone green flag in a nest of serpents.
But too late, I realize I’ve enticed the most venomous snake.
Kane’s friendly façade hides a predator more dangerous than I imagined.
He quickly unveils the monster lurking beneath the surface.
A monster who lured me in only to trap me in a lethal game with no escape.

⤖ My Review ⬻

I picked up Rina Kent’s Beautiful Venom in an attempt to give contemporary dark romance another try. Now I know, without a doubt, that most of this genre is not for me. I also found that the hockey aspect of the story wasn’t really necessary, though I didn’t really mind it being there. All that aside, here are some things about Beautiful Venom that I did enjoy.

There was definitely a lot of action and the plot moved at a decent pace. I rooted for the female lead and her revenge plot—she had a strong, determined energy that made me want to see her succeed. The tension between the leads was also done well in certain moments, even if I didn’t completely connect with their dynamic overall.

I also normally enjoy a college town setting—and the locations in Beautiful Venom were no exceptions—dorms, parties, and secret meetings. I liked how Kent captured the darker undercurrents of an otherwise familiar environment.

Lastly, I really enjoy secret society components in books. Beautiful Venom had a decent amount, though there could have been more! Those parts were among the most intriguing to me, and I wish they’d been explored in greater depth. I’m curious about what might happen to the characters after spending so much time with them in the first book, but I’m currently unsure if I’ll continue with the series.